Printing marbleized patterns on floor coverings



April 5, 1932- -c. F. HUMPHREYS ET AL 1,353,017

PRINTING MARBLEIZED PATTERNS ON FLOOR COVERINGS Filed Aug. 1.2,"1926 ll lllllllllllllllll gm 5 em g Q W n, m m

- consistent with good practice,

= line being Patented Apr. 5,. 1932 v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES F. HUMIHREYS AND J'. CLARENCE MCOARTEY, OF LANCAS'I'EZ, PENNSYL- VANIA, ASSIGNORS T0 ARMSTRONG CORK COMPANY, OF LANCASTER, PENNSYL- VANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA PRINTING MARBLEIZED PATTERNS 0N FLOOR COVERINGS Application filed August 12, 1926. Serial No. 128,870.

In the printing of linoleum and other hard surface floor coverings, complementary blocks are employed for successively applying different colored paints to the oor covering to produce the finished pattern. These blocks, in order to properly apply the paint, have a finely subdivided or peg like printing surface. A. solid surface is ineffective because it does not allow the paint to spread properly, and when-it is lifted from the goods, it tends to suck the paint up with it, mutilating the pattern and further preventing even distribution of the paint. Solid printing surfaces are, therefore, entirely inand are nowhere used.

In the production of marble effects in 'printed floor coverings, colored lines of one or more colors are printed on the surface of the floor covering after a ground color has been applied. These lines are crooked and curved, resembling worms, rather than marble, and they are exactly duplicated with each impression of the printing block, each regularly repeated at regular intervals in the product.

According to the present invention, these lines are mutilated and blended together and blended into the ground coat of paint, whereby an artistic marbleized effect is procured,

- wherein exact repeats are avoided and a truly mottled apperance obtained.

The process and machine described in detail hereinafter are described and claimed in my United States Patent N 0. 1,824,433, granted September 22, 1931, on an application which is a division hereof.

The invention may be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which 'Figure 1 represents diagrammatically a longitudinal section through a block printing machine.

Figure 2 represents a portion of the printing surface of each of the blocks shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows a portion of the printed surface up to the point where the curved lines are printed on the floor covering.

Figure 4 shows a portion of the printed surface after the first step of our process.

Figure 5 shows a portion of the printed surface after the final step of our process.

In the drawings, 2 designates the bed of a printing machine, being printed, 4 is the first printing head, 5 the second, 6 the third, 7 the fourth, 8 the fifth and 9 is the sixth printing head. There may be fewer or more printing heads, the number illustrated being arbitrary and being suificient to produce a floor covering according to our method.

ur invention will be described in connection with a floor covering having a contrasting title design, wherein one set of squares or tiles has a marbleized effect produced therein, but it will be obvious that this is only by wa of illustration, and that the marbleized e ect can be procured over any part of the surface of the floor covering, as may be desired.

In the printing of linoleum, the web 3 is intermittently moved along the bed of the machine, and while the web is stationary, the printing blocks are brought down against the surface thereof. The printing head or block 4 has printing surfaces 4 thereon, which apply the ground color or paint for one set of tiles or blocks, such as the squares 10 in the finished product in which the marbleized appearance is procured.

The next printing head, 5, applies a flat color to the other set of squares, 11, this block having printing surfaces 5 thereon so positioned as not to overlap the pattern produced by head 4. In this particular illustration, the entire surface of the material as it moves thereunder, covering the entire surface with the contrasting squares 10 and 11. In making a more intricate pattern, more blocks are used. The printing surfaces of the two blocks are of the usual sawed or peg-like form, being finely subdivided to secure an even spread of the paint.

The succeeding printing block 6 has a printing surface 6 adapted to print crooked lines of one color in the squares 10 which have previously received a ground coat. The next block, 7, also prints crooked lines by 3 the web of material.

means of its surfaces 7 a in another color in the squares 10.

When the floor covering has moved from under the block 7, it has the appearance shown in Figure 3, having an all'over pattern in contrasting'colors with colored lines in those areas 10 of one color. So much of the process is old and is now commonly practiced, and the product shown in Figure 3 is what is at the present time the nearest representation of a marble surface obtainable.

According to our invention, the linoleum next passes under the head 8, at which time of course the paint is still wet. The block 8 has surfaces 8* adapted to cover the surfaces 10 of the printed linoleum, and the surfaces 8, instead of being sawed, are entirely smooth. The result is that when these surfaces press the wet paint in the squares 10 with the different colored lines thereover, and then lift away therefrom, the paint is smeared, the contour of the different colored lines obliterated, and the paint left in a rough, unevenly distributed film in the squares 10, as shown in Figure 4.

Then, with the paint still wet, the web moves under the masher-block 9 having sawed surfaces 9 similar to block 4, but no paint is applied to this block. When the sawed.surfaces 9, which are adapted to cover the previously mutilated surfaces 10, press against these surfaces, the paint is smoothed down and evenly distributed, but the curved lines are irregularly blended into the background and into one another, no longer having any resemblance to lines. Instead of being of uniform shade, the paints are blended at some points more than at others, producing delicate shade variations and 'ving a mottled or stippled effect hereto dre not procurable in printing processes of this kind. The smearing of the paint by the block 8 and the subsequent redistribution by the block 9 will not be uniform, so that there will be no repeat of the pattern, thereby still further imfizoving the product.

sides producing an article which is highfrom an ornamental standpoint,

superior further advantage obtained by 1 there is a blending the designfinto the ground color.

Where the colored lines are onthe surface of the ground color, the colored lines will wear off before the ground color, leaving no ornamentation thereon. By blending the colors into the ground color in this manner, the pattern is just as lasting as the ground color into which it is blended.

While we have described the invention in connection with a printing machine, it will also be understood that we do not limit ourselves to machine printing in any step of the process or to the number and arran ment of colors used, the foregoing description bemg merely illustrative of the invention, and var ous c anges and modifications may be made within the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1.'In the method of making printed floor coverings, the steps consisting in forming a base coat of paint, applying overlying paint portions in defined shapes while the base coat is still wet, and applying pressure substantially perpendicularly to blend the said portions into the base coat while maintaining their general shape.

2. In the method of making printed floor coverings, the step consisting in forming a pattern havin a plurality of defined pattern elements, app ying overlying paint portions to at least some of said pattern elements while they are. still wet and blending the overlying paint portions into said pattern elements while leaving the definition of said pattern elements substantially undisturbed.

3. As a. new article of manufacture, a printed floor covering having a plurality of defined pattern elements executed in paint, at least some of said elements having overlying decorative elements executed in paint of a different shade or color than the pattern elements which they overlie, said overlying elements having their edges at least blended into the pattern elements which they overlie while leaving the definition between the pattern elements substantially undisturbed.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

CHARLES F. HUMPHREYS. J. CLARENCE MCCARTHY. 

